Individuals and groups representing vegetarians and vegans up and down the
country have been responding to a recent article in New Scientist magazine.

VON (Vegan-Organic Network) welcomes Bob Holmes’ article “Veggieworld: Why
Eating Greens Won’t Save The Planet” (issue 2769 14 July 2010) as part of
the increasing debate about the future of food but was disappointed by its
muddled logic and several omissions.

Holmes gives figures for the greenhouse gas emissions of beef, chicken and
pork but omits plant protein from his comparison. He quotes a 21% reduction
in land use if the world went vegan, yet later talks about marginal land as
if it could not be re-forested, used for energy crops etc. He omits to
mention the environmental damage caused by the tanning of leather, avoiding
the comparison with a pair of shoes made from a renewable crop such as hemp.

He posits that the wealth=meat scenario will continue, with intensive
rearing of animals being the least environmentally damaging solution.
However, if the U.S. and Europe were to go vegan, given that the rest of the
world frequently follows the West’s lead, particularly in dietary matters, a
reversal of the paradigm could happen very easily.

“And that says nothing of animal welfare issues” says Holmes. In our more
enlightened times, when evidence of animals’ intelligence and sensitivity is
piling up and healthy vegans abound, animal welfare can and should no longer
be ignored. Vegans commonly do not suggest that the world should go vegan
overnight, but point out that there is a wealth of difference between the
careful rearing of one or two “family” animals in a third world country and
the cruelty of the industrialised model.

Holmes seems to accept that an increase in meat production would be
environmentally disastrous without any mention of the alternative: stockfree
organic agriculture, a proven, clean, green, efficient and cruelty-free
method of food production.

Manure may be less important to farmers due to the current availability of
artificial fertilisers, but Holmes does not look forward to the
fast-approaching post-oil era where green manures, mulching, composting and
crop rotation will be the norm.

Farmers, growers and gardeners all around the world are turning to stockfree
organic methods: food grown for local consumption without animal inputs. The
time has come to stop quibbling over which animal foods are least harmful,
to accept that eating animals is not sustainable and instead to grow and eat
the plants directly ourselves.

-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
(1) Founded in 1996, the Vegan-Organic Network is an ambitious charity with
an international network of active supporters. It aims to research and
promote vegan-organic (stockfree) methods of agriculture and horticulture so
that clean, green, cruelty-free, food becomes widely available. It publishes
a magazine “Growing Green International” and advice leaflets. There is also
a free advice service for members of the public, home growers, smallholders
and farmers. The Network organises farm walks, allotment and garden visits
and volunteer placements on stockfree holdings.

(2)VON’s stockfree organic standards inspected by the Soil Association are
available for farmers and growers who wish to grow produce in the most
ethical and environmentally-friendly way. The stockfree organic symbol is
the consumer’s guarantee of “organic plus” food.